Vehicle

2012 Chevrolet Volt 4dr Hatchback (gas/electric hybrid DD)

Review

I live in Minnesota and have 2 months of winter driving experience with my Volt.Like other owners I can say I love the car.Fit and finish and design are stunning.The heater works fine which was a concern of mine.There are 2 heater modes.Eco consumes less battery but doesn't heat as effectively.Regular is equivalent to other cars.When it is quite cold (less than 28 F), the battery will get you 33 miles but beware the gas engine will go on for about 5 of those miles to keep the battery and cabin warm.The best you'll get is about 130 mpg for those 33 miles.Above 30 F, you can expect 30 miles per charge with no use of the gas engine.In general, I have gotten 37 mpg on gas.

Best Features

It has not been above 40 F since I've owned my Volt.
It clearly does better the warmer it is outside (the same is true of gasoline engines).
I would guess in the summer, I'll get 35-40 miles on a charge and will get about 40 mpg on gasoline.
I work about 23 miles from home and can plug in at work, so in general, I seldom use gasoline.
The car handles well in the snow but beware, the ground clearance is only about 5 inches!
Luckily the wind deflector is made of rubber so it is flexible so the true clearance is probably about 7 inches.
If the snow is deeper than 6 inches, you may need to wait for the plows.
I have heated seats and if you live in a cold climate, I recommend them.

Worst Features

The seats heat up very fast and the high setting is way to hot for me!
Its rather hard to see how they can improve on this car other than to get even more range out of the battery.
The instrument panel is well thought out.
I have the back up camera, but the visibility backing up is much better than I expected, so that I don't think it is absolutely necessary.
The Bose Radio is tremendous with rich bass and treble.
It is highly recommended if you like music.
The car is so quiet, it is like a concert hall.
GM and American taxpayers have every reason to be proud of this car.
We now have a viable alternative to petroleum for day to day driving........